Book Synopsis: The world needs your voice. Say something, with your words, with your music, with your poetry, with your courage and with your presence. It doesn’t need to be perfect as long as it’s from your heart. If you see someone lonely or being hurt, say something. If you have a great idea, share it with others.

Why I love this book:

Peter H. Reynolds’ newest gem, Say Something, is an inspiring, powerful and thought-provoking story that encourages children to use their voices to make a difference in their communities and world. Say Something pairs beautifully with Reynolds’ books Happy Dreamer and The Word Collector. Written for young readers, children have the power to make a difference through their thoughts, voices and actions. Reynolds’ text is lyrical and spare. His expressive illustrations feature diverse characters and will help kids see themselves. They will enjoy pouring over the detail and a fun word bubbles. Check out the endpapers.

This is my favorite kind of picture book because it introduces children to activism. Children naturally want to be involved and do things that help others or a greater cause. Say Something encourages children to be kind, creative, imaginative, bold, brave and step outside of their comfort zone to make their world a better place. This is an excellent classroom read-aloud and discussion book.

Resources: After reading the book, explore with children the many ways the characters say something. There is a detailed Teacher’s Guide that is packed with ideas about using all three books in the classroom. It will easily support school curriculums and encourage kids to find and use their voices in many unique ways. Visit

Peter Hamilton Reynolds is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of many books for children, including The Dot, Ish, Playing from the Heart, Happy Dreamer and TheWord Collector. His books have been translated into over twenty-five languages around the globe and are celebrated worldwide. In 1996, he founded FableVision with his brother, Paul, as a social change agency to help create “stories that matter, stories that move.” He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts, with his family. Visit Reynolds at his website.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

Themes: William Kamkwamba, Science, Windmills, Irrigation, Children Making a Difference

Opening/Synopsis: “In an a small village in Malawi, where people had no money for lights, nightfall came quickly and hurried poor farmers to bed. But for William, the darkness was best for dreaming.” William Kamkwamba, is a 14-year-old boy who lives in a drought-stricken area of Malawi in Africa. He’s a curious boy interested in trying to figure out how car engines run and radios transmit music. He loves to study science and mechanics. When a drought hits his village and many people starve and die, William wants to help. He goes to a nearby library donated by Americans where he learns that windmills can produce electricity and pump water. He envisions a windmill outside his home pulling electricity from the breeze and bringing light to the dark valley. He sets to work to build electric wind to bring light to his village and water to soak the ground and grow crops to feed the village. The villagers think he’s crazy.

Why I like this book: This is a powerful and true story about how a boy’s dreams, imagination and mechanical talents save his village. I love this book because it encourages and empowers children to imagine and dream big. They too can make a difference like William. It also introduces children to the Malawi culture which is unlike their own. The book is written by the now grown William Kamkwamba, who is a student a Dartmouth College. The book has a lyrical feel to it and Elizabeth Zunon’s illustrations are simple, bold and stunning.

Resources: There are back pages of information about William Kamkwamba. Also Alliant Energy Kids teaches kids about alternative energies and powering toys with wind power. Visit Kids and Energy for more activities and resources about alternative power sources.

Friday, December 14, is the anniversary of the date in 1954 that the UN General Assembly recommended there should be a Universal Children’s Day. All of those participating in author Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book Friday, are doing out part to raise awareness of the plight of children around the globe and to promote the welfare of children in the world by posting books which focus on multicultural/multiracial issues, human rights, and/or children who have helped to change the world in some way.